Are there environmental concerns regarding the use of crude derived from oil sands?
The extraction and processing of oil sands do, on average, result in higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than light, sweet (low-sulfur) crude oil. But so do many of the heavy, high-sulfur crudes that are being produced in the United States and around the world. On a life cycle (or well-to-wheels) GHG emission basis, oil derived from Canadian oil sands is comparable with other crudes refined in the United States. We believe that the United States is equipped to manage the emissions from crude derived from oil sands with greater care than if it were processed in regions of the world with less stringent environmental standards— not to mention the environmental costs of transporting the crude elsewhere. What steps are being taken to limit the environmental impact of the practice? The oil and natural gas industry remains committed providing the energy our nation needs to power its economy in a reliable and environmentally-responsible manner. To this end, the oil and gas industry has inves
